Flying boat



1,629,978 y 1927' B. SPERRY FLYING BOAT Filed July 2a, 1918 IIVVENTORLAWRENCE B. SPERR x Patented May 24, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAWRENCE B. SPERRY, OF MASSAPEQUA, NEW YORK; THE BANK OF AMERICA, OF NEWYORK, N. Y., AND WINIFRED ALLEN SPERRY, OF HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK,EXEOUTOBS OF SAID LAWRENCE IB. SPERRY, DECEASED, ASSIGNORS TO WINIFREDALLEN SPERBY.

FLYING BOAT.

Application filed July 26, 1918. Serial No. 246,832.

This invention relates to hydroaerial craft,

commonly known as flying boats, and has for I its object the increasedsafety of such craft when resting upon the water, and especially whenthe engine is crippled and the weather is rough.

Referring to the drawin s wherein 1 have shown what I now consi erthepreferred form of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a flying boat embodying my invention.

Fi 2 is a sectional detail of the fuel tank, showing means for emptyingthe fuel therefrom when desirable to lighten the craft.

Fig. 3 is a section of the lower portion of theboat taken approximatelyon line 3-3,,

Fig. 1, showing the method of strengthening the boat.

Fig. 4 is a detail showing a pump for forcing air into the fuel tank.

ig. 4- is a detail of the pump of Fig. 4.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5, Fig. 1, showing means forretarding the movement of the rear end ofthe craft through the water.

I have found that when a flying boat'is floating freely upon the waterduring an appreciable gale, it will not only drift with the wind, butwill tend to travel faster than the waves, especially when movingforward or backward. It will be readily seen that if the craft movesbackward faster than the waves, when the boat rolls and the .ends ofthe-wings or planes touch the water, a considerable downward pull willtake place as a result of the angle of the planes with respect to thewater, and a'tremendous strain will be exerted upon the craft. If, onthe other hand, the boat is moving forward, and

i 40 the planes dip into the water, they will ride upwardly and skipalong the surface. Thus,

not only will strains tending to upset the craft be avoided, but forcestending to keep the craft steady and on even keel will be exerted.

In order, therefore, to cause the craft to be driven forward before thewind, I may provide means such as a flat board 1 or the like, hingedlysecured as at 2 to the bottom bottom of the boat or into a recessindicated by dotted lines 4. in the boat. A spring 5 or other suitablemeans may be provided for holding the drag in its closed position. Awire 6 may be provided with one end fastened to the drag as shown at 7and extending to within reach of the pilot. This wire is shown asfastened to a lever 8 pivoted at 9 to the boat. The parts are shown inoperative positions, but when lever 8 is released spring 5 will returnsaid parts to their normaLand inoperative positions.

When the craft is resting on the water, the pilot will actuate lever 8so as to pull the drag 1 down, and the drag will so retard the passageof the rear end of the craft through the water as to always permit theforward end to proceed first.

In order to keep the tail planes 10 clear of the water, I may mount themhigh above the rear end of the boat as shown, by mounting them on araised frame work 11 provided for this purpose.

An important feature of my invention is the reduction of the weight ofthe craft by eliminating the metal fuel tanks. These tanks may bereplaced by inserting partitions 12, 13, 14 and 15 in the hull of theboat; the compartments thus formed serving as fuel tanks. be coated withany suitable elastic varnis notsubject to the action of gasoline. Inthis way it will be seen that the tops, sides and bottoms of the tankswill be obtained without the use of additional material, being a tanksto force the fuel out through the bottom.

For this purpose I have shown this fan as actuating a pump 27 The lowerportion of thispump may be provided with a valve 28 shown here in openposition. Thus it will be seen that as the fan rotates and the piston ofthe pump is operating no air will be forced through tube 29 into thetanks. But when it is desired to empty the tanks the pilot will closevalve 28bit turning knob 30 to screw valve rod 30 out through threadedbearing 28 so that the pump will now force the air through tube 29 intothe fuel tanks. Small apertures 31 may be provided in the upper part ofthe intervening compartments 13 and 14 for allowing the air when pumpedinto one of the tanks to pass into the others.

The pump may be of the usual force type with air inlet at 50, pistonvalve 51 and check valve 52, as shown in Fig. 4*. Opening of valve 28renders the pump ineffective either to pump fuel through pump 25 to thetank 26 or to empty the tanks. Closing of valve 28 will cause pumping offuel to tank 26 if the valves 181920"are closed; but if the lattervalves are open when valve 28 is closed, operation of the pumps willempty the tanks.

When short trips are being made the middle tank only need be used andvalves 32 and 33 may be closed; but when making long trips all of thetanks will, of course, be

. brought into use, and valves 32 and 33 may be opened to allow the fuelto flow into the middle compartment whence it is pumped up to theengine. The valves 32 and 33 may be actuated by rods 34 secured to hellcrank levers 35, which are in turn connected to actuating lever 37 by arod 36.

In Fig. 3 I have shown means for strengthening the bottom of the hull.This means may comprise a pair of braces 38 and 39 secured at theirinner ends 40 to the keel portion 40 of the boat and pressing againstthe sides of the boat at 41, being imbedded in the ribs 41'. Thesebraces may be tied together by an inverted channel-shaped metal tiepiece 42, the ends of this metal piece being closed and the ends ofbraces 38 and 39 placed in the tie piece abutting against the closedends thereof. Clips 43 may further secure the strengthening unit to ribs41'. Thus it will be seen that when the boat strikes the water thesestrengthenwhich it ma ing braces and tie piece will prevent the bottomof the boat being pressed upwardl and will hold the boat rigidly inshape. 11 this connection it will be seen that partitions 12, 13, 14 and'15 will also act to strengthen the structure of the boat.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have hereindescribed the principle of operation of my invention, together with theapparatus, which I now consider to represent the best embodimentthereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown isonly illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by othermeans. Also, while it is designed to use the various features andelements in the combination and relations described, some of these maybe altered and others omitted without interfering with the more generalresults outlined, andthe invention extends to such use.

Having described my invention, what I claims and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A flying boat comprising a hull, rearwardly inclined aerialsupporting surfaces attached to said hull, a vertical rudder forsteering the same while in flight, and means attached to the rear partof said hull for causing said boat to turn into a position in be drivenforwardly by the wind when oating on the water.

2. In' a flying boat, a hull containing the aviators seat and controls,aerial supporting surfaces, an engine, partitions in said hull forforming certain of the walls of a fuel container, said hull forming theremaining walls of said container, means connected with said containerfor elevating the fuel to said engine, a valve adjacent the bottom ofsaid container, means for actuating said valve, and means forcompressing air in said container for forcing the fuel out through saidvalve.

3. In combination with a flying boat having a hull, a rearwardlyinclined aerial supporting surface and vertical rudder normally abovethe water-line, means comprising a drag member attached to said hullbetween the center of said boat and the latter end thereof for causingsaid boat to turn in the water about a Vertical axis in response toblowing of the wind to present an upwardly inclined surface in thedirection of advance of the boat as it is propelled by the wind, andmeans for rendering said drag member either operative or inoperative.

4. In a flying boat, an engine, a fuel tank below said engine, a pumpfor umping fuel from said tank to said engme, and means whereby saidpump may be caused to pump air into said tank to assist in emptying thesame.

5. In a flying boat, an engine, a fuel tank below said engine, a winddriven pump, and

' means whereby said pump may be caused to drivers seat, and meanswhereby said pump pump air into said tank'to assist in emptymay becaused to pump air into said tank to ing the same. assist inel'i'iptyiug the same when said valve 10 6. In a flying boat, an engine,a fuel tank is open. 5 below said engine, a pump for pumping fuel Intestimony whereof I have afiixed my from said tank to said engine, saidtank signature. having an emptying valve operablefrom the LAWRENCE B.SPERRY.

